The present invention relates to a mining system comprising;                a vessel for processing mined ore,        an upper platform coupled with the vessel,        a lower platform supported by the ocean floor,        a number of transport cables which extend between the upper and lower platform,        a container for containing ore and transporting it between the upper and lower platform.        
In general, sea mining systems consist of a mining vessel with hoppers and bins launched from the mining vessel. These bins transport the ore from the sea bed to the mining vessel. A subsea frame receives the bins on the seafloor. The bins that transport the ore to the surface are suspended from the vessel using steel wires, and are usually closed using a lid.
Such a mining system is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,560 wherein is disclosed a deep sea mining apparatus and method for mining mineral nodules from the ocean floor, comprises a surface ship and a plurality of nodule harvesting or mining machines supported from the surface ship and resting on the ocean floor for movement along the ocean floor and including nodule gathering devices to gather the mineral nodules as the machine passes over the ocean floor. The nodule harvesting machines include separable, nodule-containing crates which, when full, are lifted to the surface where they are recovered by a surface ship. The crates are emptied of their contents and subsequently returned to the machines on the ocean floor to be refilled. A pair of cables are connected with and controlled from the cranes, respectively, and the cables are connected with the mining machine for supporting and controlling the mining machine. The pair of cables are connected with the machine at opposite sides thereof near the rear portion of the machine for lowering and guiding the empty crates to the machine, and the other cables are connected with the main portion of the machine near the front thereof for supporting and controlling the machine M. The crates C each have a cable clamping device at the opposite sides thereof, respectively, for releasable engagement with the crate lowering and guiding cables, whereby the crates may be lowered and guided at a controlled rate of descent to the platform. Immediately thereafter, the timer means also energizes a release mechanism associated with the cable clamping devices to release the crate from the cables, and the power means connected with the sprockets, is then operated in a first direction to move the endless belts or chains or the like and to move the filled crate to the rear of the machine and onto the floor of the body of water.
Prior art mining systems do have drawbacks in that a load suspended in wires is hard to control while moving through the splash zone. Furthermore the lowering speed is limited by the resistance of the bin while moving through the water column. In addition, the clamp/release system, which couples the load to the wire/releases the load from the wire, is fault sensitive which is crucial in deep sea operations. Also, the required amount of wires to control bin movement and launching/hoisting of the subsea platform is cumbersome. In addition, when suspended on one wire, or on two wires while coupled at one point of each of said wires, a container is relatively free to rotate. This may result in a non-defined position of the bin while landing on the subsea frame or recovering on the vessel, which e.g. may cause the lid to be on the wrong side